Far Out, Man
by Jasmine James
Summary: <html><head></head>Money is tight and Ponyboy is not happy when his brother rent out their parent's room to a stranger. Jay Hopper. He is hiding something. He doesn't even act like a boy! If Pony didn't know better he would say he was a... girl?</html>
1. Chapter 1

**New story! Oh fun fun. Well, I do not own The Outsiders. Poor me, blah blah blah. Be sure to put in a review and tell me what you think!**

**-Jasmine**

"I can't believe you!" A 14 year old Ponyboy Curtis screamed at his older brother. Darrel Curtis heaved a great sigh and rubbed his temple.

"Ponyboy..." He tried to once more to explain in a tired voice, but Ponyboy (again) paid him no mind.

"You're horrible!" The outraged teen yelled again, "_How_ could you do that? How could you just let a stranger in! And in _their_ room!" This time Sodapop decided to try and be the voice of reason.

"Ponyboy, you have to understand." Sodapop said and put a hand on his little brother's shoulder. Pony look at it in disgust and roughly shook it off.

"What is there to understand?" Pony ranted, "You cleaned out Mom and Dad's room and are letting a complete stranger live there. What did you do with the stuff, huh? Did you pawn it?" Ponyboy didn't get a chance to continue his rant because Darry and Sodapop shot out of their seats.

"Now, listen here," Darry said, wagging a finger in Ponyboy's direction, "We would never do that to Mom and Dad's stuff and you know that! So calm down, Pony! For God's sake, calm the heck down!"

"Come on, Pony." Sodapop chimed in, "None of us wanted to rent out Mom and Dad's room, but we have to. We need to money and you know it." Sodapop's words and Darry's yelling sunk in as Ponyboy looked down at his sock-less feet. Truth was, he _did_ know it. Did he want to believe it? Not at all. He just had to stop lying to himself. Plus, if they had a steady rent, Darry would be able to take more time off.

"When is the new person moving in?" Ponyboy asked.

"His name is Jay, he'll be here tomorrow."

…

Linda and Jaime sat at the table for what was probably the sixth straight hour. Jaime swayed where she sat.

"Lindy, why are you making _me_ do this? Why can't you do it yourself?" Jaime complained. Linda simply shook her head.

Jaime's Aunt Linda was a very strong woman. She worked hard. She was going to be a scientist and no one was able to stop her. They slowed her down, but they couldn't stop her. At the age of 26 she was three years into her own lab. She had frizzy dark brown hair and calculating blue eyes. Jaime was her favorite and only niece. When Jaime's parent's got separated Linda offered to take her. Jaime hadn't seen either of her parent's in years and she was just fine with that.

"No, Jay, I can't. I'll get too attached to my work. I need to be an emotionless scientist. So, you just need to go in for me for half a year!"

"Lindy!" Jaime yelled, jumping out of her seat, "Why do you think I can do this? I can't pretend to be a guy for half a year!" Linda shook her head and put a soothing arm on Jaime's shoulder.

"Yes you can, I know you can. Just remember, Jay, you are doing this for science."

"How does me going undercover as a boy help with science?" Jaime asked for the hundredth time.

"Jay. I've been studying male behavior for the past three years. I need this information. Do this for me, please?"

"Fine Aunt Lindy." Jaime gave in. She sat down and slid the scissors back over to her Aunt, "Go ahead. Cut my hair." Linda smiled at finally getting her way and went to work at shortening her niece's hair. Jaime watched with silent, tearful brown eyes and her golden blonde hair feel to the ground around her.

…

"Lindy, this really hurts my chest." Jaime complained. Linda looked over Jaime.

"Yes, well, guys don't have breasts, so you are just going to have to tough it."

"What if they ask me to take off my shirt."

"Just tell them you're uncomfortable with your body or something." Linda instructed, "Let's go through the fact's one last time. Name?"

"Jay Hopper."

"Where are you from, Jay?"

"Arizona."

"Where in Arizona?"

"Phoenix."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Do you like sports?"

"Yes."

"Football?"

"Yes."  
>"Favorite team."<p>

"Don't have a favorite."

"I think you're ready." Linda said. Let me hear you're boy voice. Jaime lowered her voice and began to talk.

"Is this okay?" She asked. Linda laughed and Jaime pouted.

"Is it that bad?"

"No! No, it's fine. It's just funny to hear it from you."

"Glory, thanks."

"Now get to bed, you have a big day tomorrow. Happy first day of summer."

…

Jay looked at the house before her. This would be her new home for the next half of a year. Provided that they people living in it didn't find out the truth and kick her out. But that isn't going to happen.

"Everything is going to be fine." She told herself. She frowned when she realized that she wouldn't be able to use her normal voice for a long time. She switched to her "man voice".

"Better get this over with." She said and walked up the porch steps and knocked on the door, suitcase in hand. A few moments later the door was pulled open by a very large and fairly good looking man. _Great_. Jaime thought to herself, _because it would be way to easy if I was living with unattractive nerds._

"Hello." The man greeted, "You must be Jay?" Jaime nodded, "I'm Darrel, but you can call me Darry. Come on in." He moved aside and Jaime followed him in the house. There were two other (again, extremely good looking.) boys sitting on the couch. One of which looked like a movie star. The other... well, he had time to look even better. Darry pointed at the movie star like one, "That is Sodapop and the other is Ponyboy." Jaime's eyebrows went up.

"Nicknames?" She asked. Both the couch boys shook their heads.

"They're our really names. Even on our birth certificate." Sodapop told her. Jaime nodded, a little afraid. Within her first two days of coming her from Phoenix she had heard the name Sodapop a few times while spending one or two minutes in town between rehearsals. All from girls. (Most of which were warning her to stay away.)

"Interesting names." Jaime noted.

"At least they're not boring like, Jay." Pony said and stormed off into a room, slamming the door. Darry rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ponyboy is just a little..." He trailed off and Jaime held up her hand.

"It's fine." She said. Sodapop stood up.

"Well, I think it's nice to meet you, Jay." He told her and shook her hand. Jay smile and nodded at him. Sodapop gave her a confused look. Jay gave him the look back.

"What?"

"Are you wearing eyeliner?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Woo hoo! Here's chapter two! Let's get some more reviews coming in! I love to hear what you all think!**

**-Jasmine**

Jaime's smile was gone in an instant. She was instantly filled with panic. Eyeliner? Eyeliner? How did Linda let her out of the house while she was wearing eyeliner? She hadn't put on make-up in weeks! Had... Had she just never taken off her eyeliner? Eyeliner. She was so stupid. Jaime! They're waiting for you to explain! Think of something, quick!

"Um..." Jaime spluttered, "Um... I was baby sitting my cousin and she wanted to play dress up." She said, praying that it would work. To her surprise both Sodapop and Darry laughed. Hard.

"What?" Jaime asked. Sodapop went over to the piano in the room and took one of the photos off of it. He handed it to her and he tried to stop laughing.

Jaime looked down at the picture and couldn't help but laugh herself. It was a picture of a young boy with golden hair. Jaime assumed that it was that handsome boy, Sodapop. Behind him was a kind and beautiful woman. She has the exact same golden hair. The eyes are different, not the deep, rich brown that the young boy has. It is clear that these two are related.

The woman is laughing and in the middle of clapping her hands. The boy is frowning. It is easy to see why, too. He has been put in a large pink dress. There are long fake pearls around his neck and drag queen like make up on. There is a man standing behind the woman. He looks exactly like Darry. Though I know it isn't him for two reasons. First, if it was Darry it would mean that Darry doesn't age. Second, the eye colour is wrong. Not the ice-like green blue of Darry's eyes; the same friendly brown as Sodapop's. Jaime didn't need anyone to tell her who they were.

Their parents.

Aunt Linda had filled Jaime in on the Curtis family. She had let her know that bringing up their parent's would be like sticking a knife in one of their feet. Jaime wasn't sure how Linda knew this but she was Aunt Linda! She did a lot of research. She had ways of finding things out. Impossible things.

Jaime wasn't sure what to say about the picture and the two brothers were clearly waiting for her to comment more than her chuckle.

"Why?" She finally settled on saying. Sodapop laughed.

"I feel asleep on the couch. My dad thought it was a right laugh." Jaime nodded and looked around awkwardly.

"Where can I put my stuff?" Jaime asked. The brothers seemed plenty welcoming to the new topic of conversation and lead her into a large bedroom. It was clearly the master bedroom of the house.

"Why are you letting me sleep in the master?" Jaime asked.

"It was our parents. None of us wanted to move into it." Darry said in a firm voice. Again, Jaime wanted to slap herself. She really was an idiot. She was TERRIBLE at not bringing up their parents! So what was that? Two knives in their feet. Wow, she was a good house guest.

"Good job, Jaime." She muttered.

"What was that?" Darry asked.

"Nothing!" Her voice was too high. She cleared her throat and lowered her voice, "Nothing." Sodapop and Darry both gave her weird looks but neither said nothing. _Thank God,_ Jaime thought to herself, _I don't know what I would tell them._

"I guess we'll just leave you to unpack now... Dinner is at 6. I have to get back to work." Darry waved a left. Jaime suddenly felt horribly guilty. He took time off work just to show her where she sleeps? Jaime turned to Soda who was still standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"You excited to be out of school?" Jaime asked. Soda looked down. _How does that have to do with their parents?_ Jaime thought in a panic.

"I don't go to school, I'm a drop out." Soda explained. Jaime just nodded and looked around the room, hoping for a savior from the awkward. Thankfully, Soda decided to try and make some conversation.

"So, you're just staying with us for the summer?" He asked.

"Maybe a little more. I depends with school and stuff. I'm not sure if I'll want to go home." Jaime looked out at the window and tried to remember the family story that she and Aunt Lindy and made up.

"Why are you staying with us anyways?" Sodapop asked, "I don't mean to be rude, but you're only sixteen. That's a little early to be living on your own." Jaime took a deep breath. Story time.

"My family is a little weird." She explained, "When people in my family turn 16 we go on a "journey". Our parents set up a place for us to live for the summer and we get to see how we do on our own. My brother left and never came back. He liked living in Texas too much and finished school there. I don't know what I'll do. I'll decide at the end of the summer I guess." Jaime sighed mentally. Good, that was out of the way. One lie down... hundreds to go.

"That's really cool." Sodapop said and smiled a winning smile. It made Jaime's knees go weak. Jaime guessed that she had given Sodapop a bit too much of a loving look because he quickly waved and turned out of the room. Jaime looked down at her stuff.

"Welcome to Tulsa." She said to herself and began to unpack.

…

At dinner, Jaime met two other "members of the family". They, apparently, weren't in the family stayed there almost all day every day. Two-Bit and Steve. Weird names seemed to be a theme with these people. Okay, Steve isn't that weird but Two-Bit? A little out there. After Jaime had said her life story about five times everyone was talking about what they would do tomorrow.

"I say we show Jay around town." Two-Bit suggested, "Show him all the good places to pick up broads." Steve and Sodapop laughed in agreement. Darry rolled his eyes and Ponyboy just looked at his food.

"What do you think, Jay?" Steve asked, "You up for that?"

"Um..." Jaime spluttered, she hated making choices, "I don't know..."

"How about we go swimming!" Sodapop suggested. Jaime laughed and nodded along with the idea. She loved swimming. She was practically a fish! And she could wear her new swimsuit! It was such a pretty shade of pink...

Wait a second.

Instant panic filled Jaime and she dropped her fork and gasped, a bit too high. She cleared her throat but at the moment, her voice was the least of her worries.

"What's wrong?" Soda asked.

"We can't go swimming!" Jaime yelled out. Everyone gave her a confused look.

"Well..." Steve said after a long pause, "Why not?"

Why not? Why not? What had Aunt Lindy told her to say about swimming?

"Because... because... um..." Jaime frantically tried to think of something, "I'm uncomfortable with my body."  
>The room went silent.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Glad to hear from me? Well, I'd love to hear from you! Send me a review!**

**(Hey look, I rhymed. That's got to be worthy of a review... right?)**

**-Jasmine**

There was a long pause. A pause long enough for Jaime's heart to stop, but then... laughter. Laughter filled the room. Insane laughter. Jaime filled with panic. Had they all gone mad? Were they laughing because she messed up so badly? Had they known the truth the minute she had walked in the door and were just humoring her? Was it just her, or was the room getting smaller?

Sodapop sat up and wiped a tear from his eye,"Oh, Jay," he laughed, "you had me there for a second, real funny. I don't know how you were able to keep a straight face!"

Was this true? Did they think she was just joking? Jaime started to laugh, not because she was trying to go along with it but because she was so relieved!

"I think I'm gonna like you, Jay," Steve told her and put an arm around her shoulder. Jaime's breath caught. Damn Aunt Lindy. Why did she have to find a house filled with attractive guys? This was going to be torture!

"Well..." said Jaime in her deep voice as she shrugged Steve's arm off, "I think it's time for me to go to bed." The contents of room looked up at her in confusion except for Pony, who didn't look up from his plate and called out,

"Goodbye, don't come back." Steve glared at Ponyboy, and Jaime knew that she had made at least one friend. That, or Steve just wanted a good excuse to glare at Pony. Maybe a mix of the two.

"It's only eight at night," Two-Bit pointed out. Jaime sighed. Couldn't she just go to bed?

"So?" she asked with a bit too much of girlish attitude, sticking her hips to one side and laying her hand on them.

"Okay, Mom," Two-Bit said and laughed at his own joke. Steve and Sodapop joined in; even Darry chuckled.

"What?" Jaime asked, her voice a bit too high and defensive.

"You look like a broad, man," Steve said. Jaime gasped and fixed herself, which only created more laughter.

"Well, I"m not!" Jaime said. "I'm a guy. Not a girl," she added for good measure. The laughter turned to confused looks.

"Didn't think you were," Steve said.

Jaime nodded, "Good." she said and turned around and walked away to her room.

…

Jaime was just about to go to sleep when there was a knock on the door.

"Can I come in? Oh wait, this is my house." The door flew open and Jaime hurriedly pulled the covers up higher. She had taken off the thick bandage that Aunt Lindy had wrapped around her to hide her breasts.

"Ponyboy!" she called out. Thankfully, she remembered to use her man voice. "What's going on?"

"Cut the shit," Ponyboy said and closed the door.

"Excuse me?" Jaime asked.

"Something is up with you, Jay." He said the name mockingly, almost as if he knew it wasn't her real name.

"Is there?" she asked, playing dumb.

"I don't know what it is, yet, but I'm going to find out," he warned, "so watch out. Everyone else may think you're funny and great, but I know there is something wrong about you. You're hiding something. I am going to find out what. So, watch yourself." Before Jaime could say anything else, Ponyboy was gone. Jaime laid back down on the pillows.

"What am I doing?" Jaime asked herself in a tired voice.

…

The lake was a nice place to be during the summer. It was about ten minutes away from town. Darry didn't mind driving out there; he dropped everyone off on his way to work. Sodapop was at work, so it was just Jaime, Steve, Two-Bit, and Ponyboy. The water was nice and Jaime wished so very much that she was able to go swimming. But what kind of person swims with a shirt on?

"Come on, Jay!" Two-Bit called. "The water is fine!" Jaime shook her head.

"I can't swim," she used as an excuse.

"Crazy city folk," Two-Bit muttered, and he and Steve climbed up to the dock where Jaime was lying.

"Two-Bit and I are gonna go on a walk, you in?" Steve asked. He had a mischievous smile on his face and Jaime got a feeling that it was going to be more than "a walk".

"I'm good," Jaime told them. Steve shook his head.

"You and Pony, man. Y'all have no fun." He and Two-Bit were gone, and Jaime was stuck lying there. Do guys usually go on mischievous "walks" in the woods? Is that normal? What would they even do there? Would they poke a bear with a stick or something? She wasn't sure if she would be surprised when they came out of the woods running for their lives. The thought same her smile.

Jaime was pulled out of her thoughts by Ponyboy's loud splashing. What was he doing? She rolled her eyes and sighed. She was about to go back to her sleep-like state when she started to hear yelling. What was going on?

"Help!" Jaime's eyes shot open.

"Ponyboy!" Jaime shouted out, not even caring that her scream was extremely high pitched and girly. Jaime didn't care that her shirt was white. She didn't care that she was saying she couldn't swim. She jumped in, not caring about anything. All she cared about was saving him.

She was like a fish in the water. Her clothes were slowing her down and she thanked the lord that she was smart enough to pull off her shoes. Ponyboy. Where was Ponyboy? Jaime struggled to see through the water in the lake. She saw a few fish and gasped when her hand scraped across its slimy body. Not Ponyboy. Not Ponyboy.

Then she saw him. He was floating underwater. No longer struggling. Dying. Jaime grabbed Pony's arm and swam back to the dock. He was slowing her down, but she got there in still record time. Jaime hauled him on the dock and thought back to her health training. Shouldn't he be coughing and stuff? He was just lying there, doing nothing. Was he dead? There was one last option. Jaime knew CPR, but she had only done it on a dummy! Aunt Lindy had said it might help, but what if it made things worse?

"This is no time to wonder," Jaime said and went in for the kiss of life. After a few very stressful moments, she heard Pony breathing. The relief was overwhelming. That is, until she was yanked up by the collar. Jaime looked into Steve's angry eyes.

"Why the hell were you doing kissing the kid?"


	4. Chapter 4

**So... yea... I wrote this a while ago but I was waiting on my beta... (RAE! SHAME ON YOU)**

**But here it is!**

**-Jasmine**

Jaime couldn't think. She lifted her hand up to her chest and tried to pry off the hands that were holding her shirt and pushing her painfully against a flagpole.

"I...I..." Jaime spluttered, and somewhere in the back of her mind reminded herself to lower her voice, "I... wasn't."

"I saw you!" the voice growled.

"You're... hurting... chest..." Jaime managed to get out. Steve merely slammed her into a wall again.

"Good!" Steve said. "You're disgusting!" A hand landed on his shoulder.

"At least let him talk," Two-Bit told his angry friend. Jaime dropped to the ground.

"What the heck happened?" Steve yelled. Jaime coughed.

"That kid was drowning!" she yelled. "I wasn't kissing him! I was giving him CPR!" Both Steve and Two-Bit turned to the soaking wet Ponyboy who was coughing on the dock.

"That true, Pony?" Two-Bit asked.

Ponyboy nodded. "Evidently." His voice was incredibly weak. Two-Bit went over to help him out.

"What the heck did you do that for, kid?" Steve yelled, clearly still angry. Even though he was still recovering from a near death experience, Ponyboy was able to spit out a retort.

"I didn't try to, dip-wad," he said. "My foot got caught on something; I don't know what it was."

Steve groaned. "Don't you know anything?"

Pony rolled his eyes. "I know that you're annoying me," he mumbled. Steve bit back his comment and turned back to Jaime, who was finally able to breath comfortably once more.

"Just... don't ever think of kissing the kid," he warned. Jaime shook her head.

"No!" she told him. "No way... that's gross! He's a guy, and I'm a guy, and that would just be wrong. Wrong! I'm a guy and I kiss girls... all the time... not guys... that's so gross." Steve raised his eyebrows, and Two-Bit shook his head; Pony gave her an, "Are you kidding me?" look.

"Good to know," Steve told her. A horribly uncomfortable blanket of awkward fell over the group. Jaime looked down at her shirt where it was soaked right through, the wrappings use to hide her breasts was showing. She just hoped that no one would comment on it.

"So, Jay," Two-Bit, who had decided that Ponyboy was going to live after all, said. "You'll never guess what we found in the woods..."

…

Around the dinner table, the story of how Jaime saved Pony's life was told again to eager listeners. Two-Bit was very good at telling stories, of course, fhough a few extra things were being added.

"So, then!" Two-Bit rambled on, "Jay punched the giant squid right in the nose! Then he dragged Ponyboy back to the dock and gave him CPR to save his life!"

Darry and Soda exchanged a look. "Is that true?" Soda asked Jaime. She blushed and looked down at her plate.

"Something like that..." she mumbled.

"Thank you," Darry told her. Jaime's blush only deepened.

"Really," she told him, "it's nothing."

"No it's not," Sodapop added in. "You saved my little brother's life. There is no way to repay you for that."

__I know a way you can repay me__, Jaime thought. __Don't hate me when you find out what I am.__

…

"So!" Two-Bit yelled over the radio and Steve and Soda's fighting. (Steve was cheating at poker. Again.) "You got a girl back home?" For once, Jaime didn't panic when asked a question. She smiled on the inside. This was a question that she and Aunt Lindy had practiced.

"I did," she told him. "I ended it with her when I came here." Two-Bit nodded.

"What was she like?" he asked.

"She was pretty nifty," Jay explained, "dirty blonde hair, green eyes, real sweet. Always spoke her mind, very smart." Two-Bit just stared at her.

"Is that why you dumped her?" he asked.

Jaime was shocked, "No! Why would those be bad things?"

Two-Bit shook his head, "Well, what does she look like?" he asked.

"I just told you," Jaime sighed, "dirty blonde-"

"No. No. NO," Two-Bit cut in. "You left out two very important details," he told her and gestured to his chest.

"Oh..." Jaime said and looked down.

"Are you blushing, man?" he asked.

Jaime's heart jumped, "What? No..."

"Come on, Jay, I know you're not the most manly guy out there, but even Pony doesn't blush when boobs are being mentioned!" Two-Bit's voice was getting a little bit louder than it needed to be. Steve and Soda stopped playing poker (or fighting about playing poker) to listen; Pony look up from his book and Darry stopped whistling in the kitchen.

"So what, Two-Bit?" Sodapop took up for Jaime. "Maybe Jay just doesn't like talking about that."

Steve gave her a completely baffled look, "You're a guy, right?"

"What?" Jaime yelled. "Of course I am! I'm not a girl!"

"Then how can you not like talking about that?"

…

"Aunt Lindy!" Jaime complained into the phone as she sat on her bed. "Why is being a guy so... indecent?"

"What do you mean...?" Lindy pushed, wanting to get as much information out of Jaime as she could, seeing as she was only talking to her once a week at best.

"All they talk about is girls!" Jaime yelled, her voice slipping back into her normal tone. "I don't understand!"

Lindy sighed. "Remember. You're doing this for science. Are you still keeping that journal like I asked?"

Jaime frowned. "Of course I am. You wouldn't think I would just forget about it. That journal is the entire experiment."

"Exactly. Keep it safe," Lindy advised. "Call me again next weekend if you can, okay?"

"Yea, Lindy, okay." The moment Jaime hung up the phone, the door burst open.

"Ah-ha!" Ponyboy yelled out. Jaime gave him a confused look.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Who's Lindy...?" Pony asked over her. Jaime sighed.

"Why does it matter?" she asked in an exasperated tone; she probably wouldn't be answered anyways.

"Who is she?" Pony asked.

"My aunt."

"Why were you calling your aunt at eleven at night?" he inquired.

"Why are you so annoying?" Jaime asked back. She was tired and tired and... tired. The last thing she needed was an annoying Ponyboy asking her annoying, Ponyboy-like questions. Pony narrowed his eyes and turned to leave. He was just out the door when he turned back and glared.

"You know, you sure do learn how to swim quick."


	5. Chapter 5

Jaime, Sodapop, and Two-Bit were all sitting on Two-Bit's car in front of The Dingo.

"So..." Soda said in a lazy voice, "how are you liking Tulsa?"

Jaime sighed. "It's a different experience." Oh yeah, it was different, all right. She was missing skirts, fruity drinks, flirting with guys...

"How's the game here compared to the old town?" Two-Bit asked.

"Game? Like... sports?" Jaime asked.

Soda chuckled. "You're funny, Jay," he muttered.

"You know!" Two-Bit said, shaking his head. "Girls! Chicks, dames, broads, dolls-" Two-Bit shook his hips, "-Señoritas!" Soda snorted and Jaime giggled.

Two-Bit's eyebrows shot right up. "You just sounded like one yourself."

"What?" Jaime asked, her voice flat.

"Calm down, man," Soda told her and shoved her shoulder.

Two-Bit chuckled. "You take things way too seriously, man. It's just a joke. You have a girl laugh; that doesn't mean anything."

Jaime glared. "Don't laugh at my laugh. I'm just me, so don't be mean. I'm not a girl. I'm a guy." Two-Bit shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"I'll catch you tomorrow, guys!" he called. "Jay, remember: you're a guy!" His loud laugh carried the greaser away. Soda chuckled.

"Seriously, man, take a joke."

…

"Hey, Darlin'!" Steve called as he walked up to were Evie and her cousin, Amanda, were sitting at The Dingo. Evie looked up, a frown on her face.

"What do you want, Steve?" she hissed out. Amanda glared at Steve as well.

"Yeah, Steve," she added, "what do you want?"

Steve held his hands up in defense. "Now, now, next time it's your time of the month give me a warning, okay?" he asked. Evie's glare only got more angry.

"Just say it, Steve," she told him.

"Yeah!" Amanda put it. "Just say it; the suspense is killing me! Spit it out."

Evie sighed. "Amanda, stop."

"Yeah! Amanda... oh." Amanda look down at her lap. "Sorry."

"Anyways..." Steve said, sliding into the booth where the two cousins were sitting, "we're going to The Ribbon tonight."

"Oh, are we now?" Evie asked.

"Sure are."

"Oh, Lord," Amanda said quietly.

"So you think-" Evie began.

"What a miracle!"

"Amanda!" she yelled. "Seriously?"

"Okay... sorry." Amanda bowed her head. "Won't happen again."

"So... back to us..." Steve announced. "You, me, Ribbon... Eight?"

"You're not even going to ask me what I want to do?" Evie asked in wonder. "You're really being that stupid?"

"Why ask?" Steve said. "You're my girl."

"And because of that I have no say in where we go on dates, even after we've been not going on dates for a month and you've been putting absolutely no effort into this relationship?"

"Well... you're my girl."

"So that's all I am? Just a body. No brain?"

"Um... well... um... what's the right answer?"

"You're an idiot," Amanda sighed.

"Well, Steve," Evie hissed out, "I might not be your girl for much longer!" She picked up her chocolate milkshake, which she had not even really touched, and dumped it all over him.

"You can spend tonight cleaning that; you won't be busy."

...

A loud bang rang through the house as the door slammed and Steve Randle stormed in where the three Curtis' brothers and Jaime sat. (Sodapop and Darry had been given the day off of work.)

"That's it!" he yelled. "I'm done!" Jaime rubbed her side where Pony had "flinched" and smacked her. (She really did miss being a girl... then if I guy smacked you he was like... exiled.)

"Done with that, Stevie?" Soda asked.

"Her!" Steve stormed, slamming his coat down on the table. "Getting some milk..." he grumbled, and the cloud of anger went into the kitchen. Soda picked up the coat.

"Steve... why is your jacket all sticky?" he asked.

"Don't ask! She's the devil!"

"'She' who?" Darry asked with a sigh.

"Evie!" Steve shouted back.

"Oh, yay," Pony grumbled, "we get to hear about her again."

"What's eating you?" Jaime asked him. Pony's eyes narrowed.

"The same thing that's got your panties in a twist."

"I don't wear panties! I'm a dude!" Jaime yelled out. Darry and Sodapop turned to look at her; Steve stuck his hear out from behind the kitchen door frame.

"Thanks for the update," he told her and disappeared again. _Close call, _Jaime thought to herself and went back to picking at her nails. They were in terrible shape...

"Anyways..." Soda said, "what happened with Evie?" Steve grumbled some more before coming back out with a glass of milk in hand.

"She just got mad at me for no reason. I don't understand at all."

"Well..." Darry told him in a calm voice, "did you do anything before she got mad at you?"

"Not a thing!" Steve ranted. "I was being nice! I asked her if she wanted to go to The Ribbon or something and she just spat in my face!"

"Are you sure you didn't say it in a weird way?" Soda asked.

"No! I was being nice!" Steve said again. "We haven't gone on a date for like... a month!"

"Well that's the reason..." Jaime said quietly. Everyone turned to look at her.

Steve raised an eyebrow. "How is that the reason?" he asked.

"It's quite simple really..." Jaime told him. "She was just feeling like you didn't care about her anymore because of the lack or dates and the effort from your side of the relationship, so when you finally did step up, she was annoyed and took it out on you. Simple."

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. No one said a word. They all just looked at Jaime.

Steve finally spoke up. "You speak girl."


End file.
